Ellenville mom files wrongful death suit

Tuesday

Nov 20, 2012 at 2:00 AM

The mother of Shannan Gilbert, the former Ellenville student whose body was found near a remote Long Island beach last year, has filed a wrongful death civil suit, saying a doctor gave her daughter medications that helped cause her death.

James Nani

The mother of Shannan Gilbert, the former Ellenville student whose body was found near a remote Long Island beach last year, has filed a wrongful death civil suit, saying a doctor gave her daughter medications that helped cause her death.

Mari Gilbert of Ellenville alleges in the lawsuit that osteopathic doctor Charles Peter Hackett of Oak Beach operated a home for "wayward girls" and coerced Gilbert into his home May 1, 2010; there, the lawsuit says, he gave her medications and then released her. The suit says that led to her death.

No dollar amount is requested in the lawsuit.

Gilbert, a 24-year-old prostitute, was last seen screaming and running from an Oak Beach home where she had met a client for sex May 1, 2010. As police looked for her body, they came upon the grisly discovery of 10 more bodies. Police think the area might be the dumping site for at least one serial killer, but believe Gilbert died accidentally.